diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/InitializeNexusStagingRepository.kt b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/InitializeNexusStagingRepository.kt
index 9d82c9d..9decb86 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/InitializeNexusStagingRepository.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/InitializeNexusStagingRepository.kt
@@ -60,9 +60,19 @@ constructor(objects: ObjectFactory, extension: NexusPublishExtension, repository
     @get:Input
     val repositoryName: Property<String> = objects.property()
 
+    /**
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.readTimeout
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.writeTimeout
+     */
     @get:Internal
     val clientTimeout: Property<Duration> = objects.property()
 
+    /**
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.connectTimeout
+     */
+    @get:Internal
+    val connectTimeout: Property<Duration> = objects.property()
+
     init {
         serverUrl.set(repository.nexusUrl)
         username.set(repository.username)
@@ -71,6 +81,7 @@ constructor(objects: ObjectFactory, extension: NexusPublishExtension, repository
         stagingProfileId.set(repository.stagingProfileId)
         repositoryName.set(repository.name)
         clientTimeout.set(extension.clientTimeout)
+        connectTimeout.set(extension.connectTimeout)
         this.onlyIf { extension.useStaging.getOrElse(false) }
     }
 
@@ -82,7 +93,7 @@ constructor(objects: ObjectFactory, extension: NexusPublishExtension, repository
 
     internal fun createStagingRepo(): URI {
         return serverUrlToStagingRepoUrl.computeIfAbsent(serverUrl.get()) { serverUrl ->
-            val client = NexusClient(serverUrl, username.orNull, password.orNull, clientTimeout.getOrElse(Duration.ZERO))
+            val client = NexusClient(serverUrl, username.orNull, password.orNull, clientTimeout.orNull, connectTimeout.orNull)
             val stagingProfileId = determineStagingProfileId(client)
             logger.info("Creating staging repository for stagingProfileId '{}'", stagingProfileId)
             val stagingRepositoryId = client.createStagingRepository(stagingProfileId)
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/NexusPublishExtension.kt b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/NexusPublishExtension.kt
index a4c7a8c..4d56a1c 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/NexusPublishExtension.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/NexusPublishExtension.kt
@@ -40,10 +40,21 @@ open class NexusPublishExtension(project: Project) {
         set(project.provider { project.group.toString() })
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.readTimeout
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.writeTimeout
+     */
     val clientTimeout: Property<Duration> = project.objects.property<Duration>().apply {
         set(Duration.ofMinutes(1))
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @see okhttp3.OkHttpClient.Builder.connectTimeout
+     */
+    val connectTimeout: Property<Duration> = project.objects.property<Duration>().apply {
+        set(Duration.ofMinutes(1))
+    }
+
     val repositories: NexusRepositoryContainer = DefaultNexusRepositoryContainer(project.container(NexusRepository::class) { name ->
         project.objects.newInstance(NexusRepository::class, name, project)
     })
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/internal/NexusClient.kt b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/internal/NexusClient.kt
index 2f3e351..32c80a0 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/internal/NexusClient.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/de/marcphilipp/gradle/nexus/internal/NexusClient.kt
@@ -32,16 +32,20 @@ import java.io.IOException
 import java.io.UncheckedIOException
 import java.net.URI
 import java.time.Duration
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 
-class NexusClient(private val baseUrl: URI, username: String?, password: String?, timeout: Duration) {
+class NexusClient(private val baseUrl: URI, username: String?, password: String?, timeout: Duration?, connectTimeout: Duration?) {
     private val api: NexusApi
 
     init {
         val httpClientBuilder = OkHttpClient.Builder()
-                .connectTimeout(1, TimeUnit.MINUTES)
-                .readTimeout(timeout.toMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
-                .writeTimeout(timeout.toMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+        if (timeout != null) {
+            httpClientBuilder
+                    .readTimeout(timeout)
+                    .writeTimeout(timeout)
+        }
+        if (connectTimeout != null) {
+            httpClientBuilder.connectTimeout(connectTimeout)
+        }
         if (username != null || password != null) {
             val credentials = Credentials.basic(username ?: "", password ?: "")
             httpClientBuilder